What is App Store Optimization and Why is ASO Important?

Credit Go to #Apptweak

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Are you new to App Store Optimization? If you have just decided to start optimizing your app(s) and you’re a bit overwhelmed, don’t worry! In this guide, you’ll find everything you need to know about ASO, app store ranking signals, how ASO is different for the App Store and Google Play, and how to get started with ASO.

What is App Store Optimization (ASO)?

ASO definition

The apps we want to download from the App Store or Google Play are more visible when they rank highly in search results for a variety of keywords, maintain a high position in the top charts, or get featured on the store. But how do you make sure your app is put in front of the right people, in the right places? And how do you make sure these people actually download your app? That’s where ASO comes in.

We define?App Store Optimization (ASO)?as the process of?improving an app’s visibility on the app stores?and maximizing its appeal to new, existing, and lapsed users with the objective of increasing app downloads and (re)activations.

In simpler words, ASO comes down to this simple equation:?traffic multiplied by conversion equals downloads.

Keyword optimization vs conversion rate optimization

ASO focuses mostly on two pillars:

• Keyword optimization: Keyword optimization involves researching, analyzing, and selecting the right keywords to include in your app’s title, subtitle, keyword field, and long description.
• Conversion rate optimization: Conversion rate optimization is the systematic process of adjusting the textual and visual elements of your app’s product page to ensure that a higher percentage of users download the app after seeing it.

These two pillars work closely together – a solid keyword optimization strategy will result in higher rankings, while great conversion rate optimization procedures will make sure that increased visibility leads to more app downloads.

The basics of ASO

There are a lot of factors that can impact your app’s visibility and organic downloads (more on this later) and, as a result,?an ASO expert’s job is very diverse. Depending on a company’s priorities, goals, and KPIs, ASO can consist of:

• Executing keyword research to optimize app metadata with the most searched for keywords.
• Optimizing app creative assets such as icons, screenshots, and videos to encourage more users to download your app.
• Localizing an app’s product page to foreign languages worldwide.
• Implementing an effective review strategy to ensure a steady stream of positive reviews.
• Increasing an app’s visibility in editorial content, featured stories, or “Similar Apps” placements.
• Monitoring app store changes and competitor updates to maintain app visibility.

ASO vs SEO

App Store Optimization, or ASO, is often referred to as mobile SEO or SEO for apps. This analogy comes in pretty handy when understanding the overall principle of ASO. But the app stores and the web are two very different ecosystems, hence there are quite some differences between ASO and SEO.

1. Search intent: Search queries in the app stores are generally shorter than on the web. People tend to search for specific apps by their brand name or are looking for new apps that can serve an exact need. When searching the web, people often seek answers to specific questions or they make queries about buying a certain product or service. Therefore, search queries tend to be longer.
2. Keywords: In the app stores, keyword optimization is limited to the app title, subtitle, and keyword field or long description. Therefore, app marketers need to carefully select a handful of relevant keywords to increase their visibility. On the web, conversely, it is possible to optimize different web pages for different search queries.
3. Backlinks vs app downloads: Search engines rely on the amount and quality of backlinks to determine the authority of a website. App stores rely on app download velocity to assess authority. The more downloads an app receives over an amount of time, the higher the ranking chances of the app.
4. Page speed vs uninstall rate or retention rate:?Both search engines and app stores want to provide users with the best user experience. Search engines, therefore, prioritize websites with fast page speeds in the search results. On the other hand, app stores rely on user metrics such as uninstall rate or retention rate to feed their algorithm.

How do users search in the app stores?

According to Apple,?most apps are discovered through app store searches (65%). AppTweak estimated that although brands only account for 24% of all keywords,?branded keywords drive 49% of all App Store traffic. It’s interesting to note that the search from generic keywords still accounts for more than half of App Store traffic, although we tend to think that users mostly look for brands in the store.

It’s true that?brands typically have higher search volumes?than generic keywords. For example, in this graph below, we see that the proportion of branded keywords increases significantly as we look at keywords with higher volumes. This explains how 24% of keywords end up driving 49% of App Store traffic – these keywords represent a high concentration of the App Store’s high-volume search terms.

When it comes to App Store traffic, although high-volume keywords are mostly brands, there are many medium-volume keywords which, when strategically combined, represent a big portion of App Store traffic. In other words,?generic keywords constitute a very long tail of App Store traffic. This is where you can make a difference – capturing the traffic from those generic keywords can really help to increase the overall downloads to your app.

Why is ASO important?

There is no question that App Store Optimization (ASO) should be part of every mobile marketer’s marketing stack, especially for the following reasons:

1. Every single user eventually comes through the app store?to download your app. Whether users land on your app page via search ads, social media ads, or native ads, your app page plays a major role in convincing these users to download your app. A well-optimized app page will lead to a?higher conversion rate?and?lower cost per installs (CPIs) for your advertising campaigns.
2. If you’re not investing in ASO, you’re missing out on the largest discovery channels available to your app: According to Apple,?65%?of all downloads on the App Store happen after a keyword search. This means that working on your search optimization will put you in the best position to get your app in front of the people looking for it.
3. Your team should be prioritizing?ASO as a sustainable method?to get your app in front of the right people. You might be hesitant about the effectiveness of ASO if your app has a strong brand, such as Spotify, Candy Crush, or Netflix, who probably get the majority of their downloads from people specifically searching for their brand name.
4. However, optimizing your use of generic keywords is a very effective way to gain new customers and further increase your brand awareness. For example,?Tinder?is one of the most popular dating apps in the world, and a significant proportion of the app’s installs consistently come from generic keywords, such as “dating apps,” “meet friends,” or “match.”
5. ASO also helps to?increase your app’s chance of getting featured! With more than 2 million apps on the app stores, getting featured by Apple or Google is a very rare opportunity. However, the more you follow the store’s?best practices and guidelines?with a solid ASO strategy, the higher your chances are of being featured.
6. Finally,?your competitors are doing it! AppTweak data shows that over the last year in the US App Store, the top 30 apps in the Shopping category updated their icon almost 4 times, while the top 30 apps in the Casual (Games) category updated their icon more than 4.5 times. Apps in the Games (Casual) category updated their screenshots more than 9 times, while shopping apps carried out the most updates in terms of screenshots – 19 times.